27. Come to Me as Swami Shankara

Many sheep of human darkness have fled before the leonine roar of thy Self-realization. With Christ, thou hast sung: “I am He,” “Thou art That,” “I and my Father are One,” and awakened us from our material sleep.

Thou first exponent of “matter exists not as it appears to be,” we pay homage to thee.

O Swami of Swamis, thou didst teach us to behold the one ocean of Spirit, hidden beneath the dancing, melting waves of finite forms.

Thou didst tell us that our God is not gloomfaced nor revengeful, a seeker of faults, but that His face wears the aureole of all-alluring smiles. Thou hast shown us how to garner blossoming laughter of hearts, and how to adorn the vase of our souls with a bouquet of mighty, celestial laughter.

Our smiling lives were churned out of thy sea of light, and in thy oceanic joy our many lives dance; and at the lull of desire’s storm, in thy vast laughter we will merge.

O Shankara, many have seen the sea of Spirit dancing in thy smile: We bow to thee!